North Yorkshire
Hero's fund keeps youngsters afloat
IT'S all plain sailing for youngsters at two North Yorkshire schools, thanks to a generous donation from a charity set up in honour of a local hero.
Pupils at Northallerton Collage and the Dales School at Morton-on-Swale will now have permanent boat storage and access at Ellerton Lake, near Scorton, enabling them to canoe, kayak and sail there on a weekly basis.
The schools can finally afford to rent space and storage at the lake following a £1,000 donation from the Lance Corporal Ben Hyde Memorial Fund, founded by Ben's parents John and Sandra to support community projects after he died.
Ben, a Royal Military Police Officer from Northallerton, was killed along with five of his colleagues in Iraq in June 2003.
Dave Stout, deputy head teacher at the Dales School for children with severe learning difficulties, said: "Previously, if we wanted to give our children outdoor activities like this we had to take them on expensive residential courses on the other side of the country.
"Now we can incorporate canoeing, kayaking and sailing into their weekly routine, which is something we could never have hoped for before."
He added: "This is a tremendous opportunity for them, not only to have fun learning new activities but also to build their confidence and communication skills.
"I would like to thank Mr Hyde on behalf of the whole school."
Steve Merifield, assistant principal at Northallerton College, said: "It had got to the point where it wasn't sustainable to keep bringing canoes back and forth to the lake, and we were wasting time that should have been spent on the water.
"The kids get so much out of these activities, and we are all incredibly grateful to John and the trust."
John Hyde, who presented Mr Merifield with the £1,000 cheque at the lake yesterday, said: "This is exactly the sort of thing the trust was set up for.
"We were really pleased to be able to help, and we hope the youngsters get as much enjoyment out of the new facilities as possible."
4:49pm Thursday 15th May 2008
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